Territorios del miedo en Santafé de Bogotá (Colombia)

Abstract

Bogotá (Colombia) is considered one of the most unsafe cities of the world, which produces fear among its inhabitants and visitors. In order to establish the causes of this fear, the Instituto Colombiano de Antropología (Colombian Institute of Anthropology) developed a research project titled: «Territories of Fears in Santa Fe de Bogotá.» This research implied to establish the characteristics of the city and its population in terms of citizen relationships and the fears inspired by specific territories. The city in this research was understood as the territory built constantly by its inhabitants' perceptions. According to this, the study obtained from inhabitants of the sector subject of study their «sight» about the city they use and imagine. During this stage, surveys, interviews and workshops with the community helped to establish which places people assumed as producers of fear in the city.

This research also established that although there are continuous violent acts in the city, the imaginary fears overpass the real ones due to the stigmatization suffered by many sectors of the city. Therefore, a more realistic approach to the territory is proposed as well as a better understanding of the relations between each territory and the population living in it.